Fail

Android Q is nearly upon us, bringing with it a slew of changes and refinements. Beta 5 has started rolling out too, but it seemingly confirms that gesture navigation controls will not work with third-party launchers. The slow-march to a closed-source Android seems upon us.

The triple camera setup of the Galaxy A50 failed to impress on DxOMark, although its specs are impressive. According to DxOMark, the images produced by this Samsung phone lack detail, the autofocus often fails to work in low-light conditions, geometric shift and localized low detail artifacts are also visible quite frequently.

You are going to start seeing articles and videos cleverly implying educated conclusions about Dell's recently released XPS 15 7590. Don't be fooled into thinking they are anything other than first-impressions.

A thread posted by someone purporting to have information on GTA VI from insider sources has gained a lot of attention on Reddit. The post goes into great detail about the locations, development and story arc of the sequel to GTA VI, with the game being set across three cities and decades. Fake? Likely. It makes for great reading though.

The story of a Samsung Galaxy S10 self-destructing has been circulating on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The device apparently caught fire while charging just over a day after it was purchased. An accompanying video shows the bulging battery still smoking, having destroyed the device, in something reminiscent of the Note 7 debacle.

In an interview with a small group of media outlet, Samsung CEO D.J. Koh stated that the Galaxy Fold's flubbed launch was "embarrassing." However, Koh still sees foldable devices as the next logical step in the evolution of personal computing. Koh also stated that he envisions a future of connected devices that will replace even foldable phones in a few years time.

The trade restrictions that Japan has just announced will make it harder for companies such as Samsung and LG to buy various materials used in both chips and smartphones. The list of these materials includes resist, hydrogen fluoride, and fluorinated polyimide. Starting July 4, local companies will need the government's approval to export such materials to South Korea.

The LG V40 started receiving the Android Pie update last month. Since then, AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and even unlocked models of the device have all received their taste of Pie. Not Sprint, though, and users of the Sprint model will likely have been annoyed when they received a new OTA that still didn't bring Pie.

June 27 Update: Added comment in response to Razer's communications with NBC. We recently noted in our 2019 Razer Blade Pro review that its AC adapter hit the hottest temperature we've yet to measure on a gaming notebook, 67C. Based on historical evidence from Razer's 2017-2018 chargers melting or catching fire and the fact that the 2019 Razer Blade Pro's adapter is even hotter, I believe it may be prudent for the Singapore-based company to consider a recall — at least perhaps for adapters from their 2017-2018 Blade and Blade Pro systems.

Motorola has indefinitely shelved its plans to release the Pie update to most users of the Moto Z2 Force in the US. The Z2 Force can be said to be Motorola's last true flagship and it's a shame that the company appears to be showing complete disregard for users of the device.

LG does not do itself any favours, does it? The South Korean company has now rowed back on its commitment to bring Android 9.0 Pie to the V30 by the end of Q2. The roll-out has been pushed to Q3 for "essential improvements", with no fixed date for devices outside South Korea. C'mon LG, sort it out.

Canonical has seemingly crippled Ubuntu 19.10 for gamers, having removed all 32-bit support from the upcoming OS. Anything requiring 32-bit libraries or packages will not install, causing Valve to abandon Steam support for all Ubuntu releases going forwards.

According to a U.S. Office of Inspector General report published Tuesday, a cyberattack on NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in April 2018 was due to a severe lack of security oversight. The attack was made possible via an unauthorized Raspberry Pi that was connected to JPL's network without any knowledge of the security team. Additionally, a lack of proper network segmentation allowed the hackers to access NASA's Deep Space Network, which is responsible for managing interplanetary missions.

Tech fans were disappointed to learn that Google has officially killed off any plans for a successor to the Pixel Slate. While there had been suspicions the decision was made some time ago, it looks like the arrival of iPadOS might have been the final nail in the Pixel Slate's coffin.

A high-severity vulnerability has been discovered in Dell’s SupportAssist software that is found on millions of computers sold by the American manufacturer. The problem was highlighted by a company called SafeBreach and was originally reported to both Dell and PC-Doctor in May. Dell has offered a simple resolution to deal with the disconcerting find.

The Tesla Models S or 3 have a feature called Navigate on Autopilot feature, which can allow one of these vehicles to follow a certain route while driving autonomously. The security firm Regulus Cyber has claimed that they are susceptible to GPS-spoofing interventions, which allegedly caused a test car to enact auto-turning behaviors while still 3 miles from an actual exit.

Microsoft is now selling a cheaper version of the Surface Book 2 15. The new model swaps the Core i7 CPU for a Core i5 and drops the dedicated GTX 1060 GPU. However, at $2000, the Core i5 Surface Book 2 15 is hardly a bargain considering the Core i7/GTX 1060 model is a mere $200 more.

The company is still burying its heads in the sand over why some XPS 15 9570 laptops are getting hot and experiencing high battery drain when asleep. The company has added having an outdated BIOS and drivers along with wake on Wi-Fi enabled to the reasons that could cause the behaviour but without recognising that forcing people to use Modern Standby could be the cause. Well done, Dell.

"Shot on OnePlus" is an initiative by which users can upload their shots via a smartphone app or online. This is done via an API, which, when analyzed, was found to be a ready source of user emails and IDs. The company's response to this situation currently includes an overhaul of this interface.

Smach has been showing off its much anticipated and delayed handheld games console at E3 2019, with promises that it will ship at the end of the year. 17 FPS in titles like Monster Hunter World for a starting price of US$699 though? No thanks.

Huawei has indefinitely postponed the launch of its latest MateBooks confirming the rumors Notebookcheck exclusively reported on during Computex. At the time, we learnt that Huawei had cancelled an order for 16-inch notebook panels and the revelation that it has officially cancelled its launch plans for the CES Asia 2019 in Shanghai this week looks to be the outcome.

With Dell starting to blame customers if their XPS 15 9570 overheats when asleep, one getting so hot that it explodes would be rather inconvenient PR. That is the state that one person arrived home to see their XPS 15 in, and Dell customer support has not been forthcoming on helping them resolve the matter.

OnePlus is moving quickly to fix the ghost touch issue that has been affecting some 7 Pro smartphones, less than a week after acknowledging its existence. Thankfully for owners, it does not appear to be a hardware issue.
Update: OnePlus claims that OxygenOS 9.5.7 fixes ghost touch issues.

It seems that Dell has not forgotten about the XPS 15 9570 in the wake of releasing its successor. The company has committed to further reducing the DPC latency issues still affecting some machines beyond the BIOS release that it released in April.

The CBS-owned tech outlet has a beef with how YouTube gamers and influencers are "riling up the crowd" with their rants and negativity toward game publishers.

Did you buy a Nexus 6P in the US between September 25, 2015, and May 3, 2019? If so, then you can now file a class action compensation claim against Google and Huawei for up to US$400. Your Nexus 6P does not need to be stuck in a bootloop or have experienced high battery drain for you to be eligible for a claim either.

Does your XPS 15 9570 get hot or suffer from heavy battery drain when asleep? If so, then Dell thinks you have caused it to do so. Re-installing the OS may, or may not, fix the issue too.

Let's face it - the Pro Stand will probably still sell like hotcakes, but that won't stop competitors from having their fun with the ridiculous comparisons. The 34-inch 5K MSI monitor retails for $1299 with an actual display and stand compared to Apple's anemic offering.

A major app developer has been found sneaking adware into over 200 Android apps listed on the Google Play Store. The adware, named BeiTaAd, would only present adverts after at least 24 hours from an affected app being first opened, tricking people into believing other apps were at fault.

Sound familiar, anyone? Just over a month ago Dell reported that addressing the removal of S3 sleep was next on its agenda for the XPS 15 9570. Disappointingly, but perhaps unsurprisingly, the company has seemingly u-turned on this promise.

HTC started rolling out Android 9.0 Pie to the HTC U11 just over a week ago, but the system update has had some dire unintended consequences. The company has been forced to pull the update amid multiple reports of it soft-bricking HTC U11 handsets and is now offering a repair service.

Dell and Alienware VP Frank Azor has confirmed in a tweet that the recently announced XPS 13 7390 2-in-1 will indeed have all its components — particularly its SSD — soldered on, citing the "extremely tight form factor" and comparing the device to a modern smartphone.

It appears that Google has messed up how its Pixel smartphones how they handle notifications when set to Do Not Disturb (DND). Originally reported on Reddit, some Pixel devices are receiving two notification sounds too. Google cannot seemingly fix the issue either.

Some people might look at the death of Moore's Law, Intel's 10nm troubles, and Nvidia's highly resistible 2019 mobile-RTX lineup and think that the notebook business is in trouble. I think it might be the best thing that's happened to the industry in years.

Although recent BIOS updates for X370- and X470-based mainboards were supposed to include PCIe Gen 4 support, AMD's Robert Hallock has just confirmed on Reddit that this option will not be available in the final firmware releases for 3rd generation Ryzen (AGESA 1000+). Obviously, most of those who replied to his message consider this a mistake.

The UK's first 5G network launched recently, at the end of May 2019. The country national broadcaster, the BBC, attempted to conduct some news reports over the new data standard. Unfortunately, they faced severe issues due to the data eaten in the process.

Embattled Chinese smartphone maker Huawei’s woes are no longer academic it seems. According to the South China Morning Post, Huawei smartphone assembler Foxconn has shut down several production lines that were making Huawei’s market leading smartphones.

A Twitter user has shared a video and information about his MacBook Pro, which exploded during normal use. The video shows the laptop emitting copious amounts of smoke, with the battery having caught fire. The device has been brought to Apple, which needs five days to diagnose the problem.

Have you noticed ghost or phantom touch issues on your OnePlus 7 Pro? Well, the company has recognised it as an issue, and has issued a functionality limiting workaround for the time being.

Video game addition was defined by the World Health Organisation as a disorder in late 2017, and now it has been finally recognized as a disease that will be placed in line with gambling addition starting in 2022. However, it will take at least a few more years until this definition will start to have effects in real life.

At the time that Huawei was placed on the US government's Entity List last week, Huawei is thought to have built enough supplied of key components to last up to 12 months. The report comes via the Nikkei Asian Review that says Huawei told suppliers that it wanted to build up a year's worth of inventory to help cushion the impact of the US-China trade war.

ARM's recent announcement to cut ties with Huawei may leave the Chinese dragon in a lurch. While Huawei manufactures its own custom processors, they are built on ARM's architecture. Should ARM revoke Huawei's ability to use this architecture, Huawei has few options outside of developing its own CPU architecture to continue its electronics business.

A recent survey run by Blind shed some light on what various tech employees think of Apple and the App Store. Apple's own employees largely believe the company doesn't hold a monopoly on iOS app distribution, but other companies (namely Qualcomm and Spotify) believe that Apple's App Store constitutes a monopoly. The survey comes as a response to a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the validity of a lawsuit filed against Apple for monopolistic practices.

Although Google has a rich experience with Android devices, some of its latest Pixel handsets are now affected by an ancient plague: random shutdowns. After quite a few such incident reports that have been posted on Reddit recently, it seems that the cause of this problem is software-related, but a hardware cause cannot be excluded, either.

A recently discovered hack has exposed the personal contact information of millions of Instagram users, including some prominent influencers and celebrities. The hackers attacked an Amazon Web Services-hosted database owned by Chtrbox, a Mumbai-based marketing firm. Chtrbox had built out the database to broaden their network of potential contract marketers on Instagram. The worst part? The database didn't even have a password.

Given the trouble that Huawei has been having lately, it is not surprising to find out that the Chinese giant is already working on a Google Android replacement. Media reports confirm that HongMeng OS is in the trial phase already and if the Android ban stays in place, this will become the firmware of choice for new Huawei handsets.

Dell promised the earth, so it should come as no surprise that it has failed to meet expectations. The company had promised that it had fixed the latency issues that have been affecting the XPS 15 9570. Alas, it seems that the company still has some way to go before it eliminates these issues.
Updated: Results from running DPC Latency Checker and LatencyMon on battery added.

It’s been reported that some of the executives at BioWare, the EA-owned game developer, have been blaming Anthem’s issues on the gamers that play it. Great things were expected from the title, but within days of its release in February it was already facing a lukewarm response from critics and complaints about hardware crashes from players.

A flaw discovered in Google's Bluetooth Low Energy Titan Security Keys leaves a hole open for potential attackers. Under certain circumstances and with proper timing, an attacker could potentially hijack the Bluetooth pairing process used by the Titan to log into a user's account. Google has offered to replace affected Titan Security Keys free of charge.